Electrical conductor for railway-trains



(No Model.)

A. L. DUWELIUS. ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR FOR RAILWAY TRAINS Patented July1.2, 1887.

NITED STATES ATENT tribe,

AUGUSTUS L. DUWELIUS, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 366,209, dated July 12,1887.

a Application filed January 13, 1887. Serial No. 224,202. (No model.)

'for railway-trains, having reference to systems of braking, signaling,lighting, &c., in which the electric current is employed as acontrolling or as an actuating force or agent in connection withmechanical or other appliances upon cars connected and actuated in asystem by means of a conductor extended through a train; and its objectis to produce a system and apparatus for the conduction of the electriccurrent for railway-trains which shall be effieient and answer thedemands and conditions ofactual railway service.

In order to present the nature of my invention clearly, it is necessaryto refer briefly to the conditions of actual train service so far asthey illustrate the difficulties to be overcome. The main condition orpeculiarity of modern railway service which has heretofore offered analmost insuperable obstacle to the introduction of any system requiringaco operation between appliances upon the different cars of a train maybe illustrated by referring to the now universal custom of billingfreightcars through from their starting-point to their ultimatedestination over the interconnecting lines of railway. To some extentthe same custom has obtained as to passenger-coaches. As a result ofthis custom, trains (particularly freight-trains) are commonly made upof local and through cars belonging to different and widely-separatedcompanies, and differing in structure, size, and general character. Theobstacle afforded by this condition, and standing in the way of theapplication of any such system, may be illustrated by the fact that itis found impracticable to introduce generally into freight service evenso simple a device as the bell-cord commonly in use for signaling 011passenger-trains. The serious character of the obstacle may be measuredby the fact that, although a practicable braking system forfreight-train service has long been earnestly desired as a matter of theutmost importance and a solution of the diffr eulty sought for years byrailway-operators, yet to this day no system has been devised which isgenerally accepted as practicable in view of the difficulty abovementioned.

It is obvious that any system involving the co-operative actionindicated requires as an essential condition either that those cars uponwhich the desired effect is to be produced should be concentrated in thetrain or that some means of transmitting or controlling the exercise ofthe local actuating force be employed which may be extended over the foreign cars, or those unp rovided with the formal appliances for suchtransmission. The diffiulty in question is equally serious in the easeof electricaltransmission; and I have been led to the present inventionas the result of many years practical experience and effort in devisingand adapting to successful use a system of braking for railway-trains,employing the electric current as the controlling or initial brak i'ngforce. This experience early developed the nature and extent of thedifficulty before mentioned.

At first glance the transmission of electrical energy throughout a trainwould seem to present no material difficulty, inasmuch as aproperlyinsulated wire attached in sections to the several ears andsuitably connected would appear to answer allthe requirements of theproblem. In actual use, however, such a wire I have found to beincapable of continuouslysuccessful use. Notwithstanding the utmost carein the selection of material and in the location and arrangement of thewires upon the car, I have found it extremely difficult to protect theconductor thus formed from injuries of various kinds, due to theunfavorable conditions of use. Summing up my experiences upon thispoint, such wires are fre quently broken or the insulation destroyed byrough usage of various kindson the part of employs in the ordinaryoperation of trains or in cleaning or repairing cars, or by theinter-movement of the elements of the carframe by lost motion betweenparts under the constant strains to which they are sub jected. I havefrequently traced the breakage of the conducting-wires to thecrystallization induced by continual vibration. The difficul- ICQ I toutilize a certain element of the structure of the cars themselves commonto all cars of modern construction, and which is available only fortransmission of the electric current. I refer to the longitudinaltrussrods forming an integral part of the structure of the car-body,which rods (ordinarily from two to six in number) extend from end to endof the car-body, and are secured thereto, ordinarily, by nuts threadedupon the ends. projecting beyond the car'sills. The peculiar nature ofthe truss-rods and of their surroundings, relative location, andterminal peculiarities, considered with reference to their availabilityfor electric conduction, are such as by their use in the manner and forthe purposes hereinafter described to develop in them a new and valuablefunction in no wise analogous to any use previously made of them.

The peculiar availability of the car truss-rod for electric conductionresults from the fact,

* first, that it occupies such a position relative to the car-body as tosecure and protect it from any injuries affecting its electricconductivity that is to say, it is partly embedded in and insulatedbythe dry wood constituting the bottom of the car, being roofed by thecar-body built over it, and is freed from all the other enumeratedobjections attaching to insulated wires; secondly, being itself thelongitudinal strengthening and holding element of the carframe, it isnot liable to be displaced or parted by the strains or lost motion ofthe frame-timbers; thirdly, its situation is such as to bring itsterminals into themost convenient of all positions for the applicationof connecting devices between cars, and, lastly, its terminalconstruction is such as to facilitate in an extraordinary degree theattachment of connecting devices in a manner at once practicable,efficient, and durable. Moreover, the situation and character of thethreaded projecting ends afford a means of connecting the truss-rods ofcontiguous cars by a flexible and easily-applied conductor in suchmanner as to permit the freest oscillation between moving cars or v theaccidental separation of the train without injury to the remainder ofthe general conducting-line, and when not in use to be entirely out ofthe way and free from liability to accidental injury.

My invention maybe said to consist, pri marily, in an electric conductorfor railwaytrains consisting of a truss-rod of a car connected by aflexible electric conductor with the conductor or truss-rod of the carnext in series.

It consists, also, in a removable connecting head or clamp adapted to beapplied to the 0 contiguous ends of truss-rods upon adjacent ears, toconstitute with an intervening flexible coupling apractically-continuous electrical conductor upon or throughout suchtrain.

. Mechanism embodyingmy invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification, in which-- Figure-1 is apartial elevation of two contiguous freight-cars, showing the truss-rodsand their electrical connection. perspective end view of a car, showingone of the electrical couplings attached to the end of a truss-rod. Fig.3 is a perspective View, en-. larged,of one of the connecting heads orclamps detached. the same, and Figs. 5 and 6 are views of a modifiedform of connection.

Referring, now, to the drawings, A and B designate two contiguous cars,respectively, of

a railwaytrain, and O and O the truss-rods'of 0 said cars, respectively.These rods extend from end to end of each car, project through the endsills, and are there secured by hold5 ing-nuts n. The truss-rods soarranged are of wrought-iron, which is a good conductor of electricity,are of ample size to carry any quantity of current used for railwaypurposes, and are so embedded in the wooden portion of the car-framewhere they pass through the same,

and are so carried outside of the same as to be no practically insulatedas electric conductors. In almost all cases the threaded ends of the rodproject beyond the holding-nuts,and where such is not the case it ispossible to obtain such projection for the purposes hereinafter setforth by tightening said nut upon the rod, or by removal or substitutionof washers, or by other means obvious to the mechanic. There is thusavailable an iron rod of ample conducting capacity, and practicallyinsulated, extend- 1 IO ing from end to end of every car, and there isonly needed an electrical connection between the contiguous truss-rodsof adjacent cars to constitute a continuous conductor for such train;and as there are usually at least two of 1 r 5 necessary to provide ameans of connection which shall accommodate itself to the conditions andrequirements ofrailway service, and

here a difficulty arises from the fact that the 125 exposed ends of thetruss-rods are nearly always encrusted with rust, vpaint, grease, ordirt, and consequently some provision must be made for making a cleanmetallic connection,

notwithstanding these impediments. A further I 0 condition is that theconnection shall be simple, efficient, strong, and durable, capable ofFig. 2 is a 3 Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section of 8 I In order,however, to render the truss-rods available, as above set forth, it isbeing quickly applied without requiring electrical knowledge or specialskill on the part of the attendants. In this respect,also,alatentfunction of the truss-rod is brought into use in this, that itsscrew-threaded end affords a means of making the proper connection insuch a manner as to be peculiarly durable, and at the same time perfectthe electrical connection by means of the elements constituting itsholding quality. By this I refer particularly to the screw'thrcads onthe end of the trussrod, which, while they constitute a securemechanical holding for any coupling engaging the same in the manner of anut, also give a largely-increased contact-surface between the rod andthe electric coupling, which surface is cleaned and the metallic contactperfectedby the act of setting the coupling into its position upon therod. where no specially-devised coupling is at hand an ordinary wirecould be wound around and between the threads of the truss-rod, therebyobtaining double the amount of contactsurface that could be obtainedwith the same wire upon a cylindrical rod, and also all the advantagesof secure holding which could be obtained by a nut, the wire so woundpractically constituting a nut. The act of winding also tightens thewire in the wedge-form opening between threads and produces a rubbing ofsurfaces, insuring a practical contact. Such mode ofconnection Itherefore deem within the spirit of my invention. Ihave, however,devised a more complete and commercially-practical form of connectingdevice, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the drawings, which Iwill proceed to describe as the best for the purpose under all thecircumstances of actual use. This consists of an adjustable head, D, orscrew-clamp, to which is attached a sec tion of flexible conductor, 9.I11 Fig. 1 I have shown two such connections with heads or screw-clampsfor attachment to the truss-rods and separable coupling-heads h joiningthe flexible conductors together as one.

The construction of the flexible conductors and of the interveningcoupling-heads need not be in detail described here, since any construction capable of uniting the two clamping-heads by a flexibleelectric connection will serve the purpose of the present invention.

For the purpose of the present application the flexibleconductor-coupling g 9 between the clamping-heads (shown in Fig. 1) maybe considered as integral. The clamping-head D, as I prefer to constructit, consists of a'hollow head having four sides, each pierced centrallyby a screw-threaded aperture, a, the four apertures thus practicallyconstituting four nuts of difi'erent sizes, coveringthe range of sizesordinarily employed in truss-rods for railway-cars. The head D isdivided in the common axial plane of the apertures, the upper partorcap-piece, d, being held by and guided upon a central rod, 0, firmlysecured to the lower part and provided with a holding nut, e, and anelastic or spring For example, in a case washer, f. As thus constructedeach aperture a is rendered capable of self-enlargement by the upwardmovement of the cap-piece d to receive or fit upon a truss-rod somewhatlarger than the normal diameter of the aperture. It thus enables theclamping-head D to present the edges or corners of the two constituentparts in such relation to the circumference of the truss-rod that inscrewing the clampinghead to its seat it cleans the threads of thetruss-rod of any adhering matter-such as rust or dirt-and insures aclean metallic contact of the parts. The degree of clamping pressure isalso under control of the attendant by manipulating the nut e, and theupper portion or cap, (I, is rendered selfadjustable by itsspring-washer f.

It will beobvious that the head D may be made with three, two, or evenone such aperture, but as four may be provided as conveniently, the headso constructed possesses a wider range of adjustment, and this I finddesirable in view of the various sizes of trussrods employed on cars.

In Fig. 5 I exhibit a form of clampinghead embodying the sameconstructive principles, in which the main portion of the head D isformed as one, piece, suitably hollowed out to receive the end of thetruss-rod and carried around and over the movable part (7, which formsthe movable section of the screwthreaded clamp. Aset-screw,e.passedthrough I the projecting upper portion of the main head D, bears againstand adjusts the part (1, as desired.

In Fig. 6 i; shown a simplewasher, 10, which may be annular or formed,as shown, in the form of a hook, to engage over the truss rod behind thenut a and form contact with the rear face of the nut. In this case thenut It becomes part of the electric-conducting element, and by itsmovement to give place for the washer to, cleans its threads for makingthe desired contact, and also cleans its contactsurface against thewasher to.

Obviously for mechanical reasons the lastmentioned device when once inplace should be permanent, inasmuch as the longitudinal strains upon thetrussrod would not admit of frequent removal of the nut. 1

In patent No. 296,319, granted to me April 8, 1884, Imentioned,incidentally, that connection could be made with truss-rods orother continuous iron parts of a railway-car in case of breakage of theproper conductors, which were then assumed to be necessarily separateconducting-Wires attached to a car; but the special and peculiaradvantages hereinbeforc set forth as belonging to the truss-rods of acar, which have led me to adopt the truss-rod as an integral element ofthe electrical conduetor, were not realized at that time, but arisewholly from subsequent experience and experiment.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States- 1. In a system of electric conduction for railway-trains,the combination, with the'longitudinal truss-rod of a railway-car, of adetachable flexible coupling adapted to electrically connect saidtruss-rod with the electrical 5 conductor or truss-rod of an adjacentcar to 'constitute a substantially continuous conductor for the electriccurrent over one or more cars, substantially as set forth.

2. In electric-conducting apparatus for railro waytrains, asubstantially continuous electrical conductor in sections composed ofthe longitudinal truss-rods of adjacent cars connected by flexible shortconductor-couplings secured to contiguous ends of said truss-rods, I 5substantially as set forth.

3. In electric-conducting systems for railway-trains, the combination ofindependent electrical conductors, as wires, attached in sections torailway-cars, with truss-rods of interzo vening or contiguous cars notso provided with independent conductors, and detachable couplingselectrically connecting the terminals of said independentconducting-wires with the truss-rods of said intervening cars andcombining the same as constituents of a continuous conducting-circuitfor such train, substantially as set forth.

' 4. In combination with a railway-train and a conductor for theelectric current,composed of sections attached longitudinally to carsand provided with detachable flexible conductorcouplings, one or morecars provided with truss-rods as structural constituents interposed insuch train, said truss-rods being connected 3 5 terminally with eachother or with such sectional conductors by said detachable flexiblecouplings to bring such truss-rods into the general conductor asconstituentsections thereof, substantially as set forth.

5. In an electric conductor for railwaytrains, a truss-rod forming astructural con .stituent of a railway-car and provided with a projectingscrew-threaded end combined with a connecting-head adapted to engagesaid truss.-

' 5 rod mechanically and electrically upon or by rod as part ofthegeneralconducting-line with 551 the fixed conductor or truss-rod ofan adjacent car, as set forth. 7

' 7. In sectional electrical conductors, a connecting-head, D, havingone or more adjustable screw-threaded openings and adapted to 00electrically engage a :flexible conducting-section with thescrew-threaded end of a fixed or rigid section, substantially as setforth.

8. In sectional electrical conductors, a connecting head having one ormore screwthreaded apertures constructed in two parts, one adj nstablein relation to the other, to engage said head upon the screw-threadedends of metallic rod-sections of different sizes, substantially as setforth.

9. In sectional electrical conductors, a connecting-head, D, having twoor more openings, a, screw-threaded and adapted to engage uponscrew-threaded rod-sections, divided in the axial plane of said orificesinto two parts, the upper or movable part being held to the lower orfixed part adjustably, substantially as set forth.

10. The connection-head,.as constructcd,consisting of the head proper,D,or fixed portion, the cap or movable portion d, the central rod, 0,nut c, and elastic washer f, combined and I arranged as and for thepurpose set forth. 7

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

, AUGUSTUS L. DUWELIUS. Witnesses: L. M. HOSEA,

O. D. KERR.

